New York Red Bulls De-Unionized Philadelphia 2-1!

Harrison, NJ – For second straight week, Juan Pablo Angel scored on a penalty kick to give the New York Red Bulls a victory. Playing in front of a boisterous crowd of 15,619 strong, the Red Bulls defeated the Philadelphia 2-1.

With this win, the Red Bulls improve to 4-1-0 and have yet to lose at Red Bull Arena. As a result, the Red Bulls remain on top of the Eastern Conference with a five point lead over second place teams the Kansas City Wizards, Columbus Crew, and Chicago Fire.

After Red Bulls forward Salou Ibrahim scored his first goal of the season in the 50th minute, Sebastien Le Toux tied it for Philadelphia with his fourth goal of the season in the 59th minute. With Sebastien’s equalizer, the Philadelphia Union supporters erupted into cheers which were heard throughout Red Bull Arena.

In a match where both teams played aggressively, the Red Bulls was able to control the flow of the game. Unlike last week, where FC Dallas simply outran and out-shot the New York, the Red Bulls played better team defense, weren’t called for too many offsides, and alleviated goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul from bailing the team out.

Along with the team’s brilliant defense, midfielders Dane Richards and Joel Lindpere controlled the flow of the game with their combination of speed and passing.

Newly signed Danish midfielder Brain Nielsen made his first Red Bulls start. This young man offered the home fans a glimpse of his potential. Aggressively attacking the ball and delivering quality passes, it’s going to be interesting how Nielsen’s contributions to the team changes the team’s dynamics.

Defenders Mike Petke and Tim Ream continue to shine in their positions as they disrupted the Union all day. With the team playing in sync, Juan Pablo Angel has found his rhythm as he scored his third goal in the past two games.

With today’s win, the Red Bulls are one win away from tying the team’s last year win total of five games when they face rival D.C. United at RFK Stadium.

Cesar Diaz is the Soccer Editor for Latino Sports. Please feel free to send him your questions and comments at cesar@latinosports.com. Thank you.